Nocturne

Amazon.com's Best of 2001
Charlie Haden has a long-standing interest in Cuban music, first touched on with his Liberation Music Orchestra over 30 years ago. Nocturne expands on that affinity and on the bassist's relationship with Cuban piano virtuoso Gonzalo Rubalcaba, who introduced Haden to the tradition of the Cuban ballad, or bolero. The result is this very unusual mix of slow- to medium-tempo pieces, limpid, sometimes almost somber songs that are filled with yearning romanticism, wistful lyricism, and an inner light. The program includes five Cuban ballads, including "Tres Palabras," almost a jazz standard after recordings by Coleman Hawkins and Joe Henderson, and four from Mexico, among them Arturo Castro's beautiful "Yo Sin Ti." To this, Haden has added two originals and Rubalcaba one, and they're perfectly continuous with the traditional material. Rubalcaba is clearly devoted to these melodies, his usual pyrotechnic flights replaced by subtle harmonic shadings that enrich the original tunes. Haden seems to sculpt these songs anew in his lower register, while drummer Ignacio Berroa adds varied and lilting percussion patterns.

The music is enhanced by a series of superb guest spots. Joe Lovano adds a Getz-like, lyric transparency to four of the songs (and they're all songs, whether they have words or not), while David Sanchez adds his weightier tone to two. Pat Metheny's acoustic guitar makes "Noche de Ronda" a moonlit reverie, while Uruguayan violinist Federico Britos Ruiz adds his own sweetly idiomatic touch to three tracks. Three pieces also gain increasingly dark hues from Rubalcaba's cello-thick string arrangements. Something of a departure for both Haden and Rubalcaba, Nocturne is true to its origins while creating its own ineffable moods. --Stuart Broomer

Nocturne,Charlie Haden & Gonzalo Rubalcaba,Universal,Jazz,Jazz Music,Latin Jazz,Pop,Post-Bop

Average customer rating: Is it bad to say I like this better than the original soundtrack? Absolutely Exquisite Yo Yo Ma and the Maestro Marvelous!!! Better Every Time Fabulous CD

Yo-Yo Ma Plays Ennio Morricone Manufacturer: Sony ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Ma, Yo-Yo | ( M ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Classical Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Similar Items: The Mission: Original Soundtrack From The Motion Picture The Essential Yo-Yo Ma Obrigado Brazil Appassionato Vivaldi's Cello ASIN: B0002YCVXI Release Date: 2004-09-28

Tracks:

1. The Mission: Gabriel's Oboe
2. The Mission: The Falls
3. Giuseppe Tornatore Suite: Playing Love from The Legend of 1900
4. Giuseppe Tornatore Suite: Nostalgia from Cinema Paradiso
5. Giuseppe Tornatore Suite: Looking for You (Love Theme) from Cinema Paradiso
6. Giuseppe Tornatore Suite: Malena (Main theme)
7. Giuseppe Tornatore Suite: Remembering (Ricordare)*
8. Sergio Leone Suite: Deborah's Theme from Once Upon A Time In America
9. Sergio Leone Suite: Cockeye's Song from Once Upon a Time in America
10. Sergio Leone Suite: Main Theme from Once Upon a Time in America
11. Sergio Leone Suite: Main Theme from Once Upon a Time in the West
12. Sergio Leone Suite: Ecstasy of Gold from The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
13. Brian DePalma Suite: Main Theme from Casualities of War
14. Brian DePalma Suite: Death Theme from The Untouchables
15. Moses and Marco Polo Suite: Journey from Moses
16. Moses and Marco Polo Suite: Theme from Moses
17. Moses and Marco Polo Suite: Main Theme from Marco Polo
18. The Lady Caliph: Dinner
19. The Lady Caliph: Nocturne

Amazon.com

Ennio Morricone is well-known to moviegoers. His soundtracks for The Mission, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Once Upon a Time in America, Cinema Paradiso, and others are invariably warmly melodic and superbly suited to the films they grace. They not only add atmosphere; they help tell the story. For this CD Morricone has created new orchestrations for many of his scores, adding a solo cello part for the indefatigable Yo-Yo Ma, whose musical curiosity seems to be endless. Outside the films, these pieces tend to be lovely melodies, mostly pretty sentimental stuff, and, in the best way, gorgeous aural wallpaper. The most moving are the two selections from The Mission, but fans of Morricone's music will find plenty to enjoy here. Ma's playing, as always, is exquisite---warm, deeply felt (given the circumstances), and entirely idiomatic within the context. Perhaps not quite for the classical music lover, but an affectionate reworking of music by an important film composer. --Robert Levine

Customer Reviews:

Is it bad to say I like this better than the original soundtrack?.......2007-06-02

I never thought Yo-Yo Ma would do Gabriel's Oboe (Track 1) from THE MISSION justice, but I was wrong. There's a pureness to this version that makes it easier casual listening than the version(s) on the soundtrack CD itself. So no matter how much I love the theatrical "largeness" of the Original Soundtrack (not to mention the full choir), this is the version I grab for the CD player/iPod/whatever.

My two other recommendations are Main Theme from ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST (Track 11) and Ecstasy of Gold from THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY (Track 12). I suggest playing these consecutively as a single medley. Track 11 *WILL* bring tears to the manliest among us --particularly if you remember in the movie where Sergio Leone pulls the camera up to reveal the town rising.

I get the feeling "hardcore" classical fans would dismiss movie scores as commercial work. I truly believe Ennio Morricone transcends that. Even moreso than, say, John Williams, and on a different plane than a Danny Elfman. And I can't say more about the emotion Yo-Yo Ma brings to the table than what's already been discussed.

Absolutely Exquisite.......2007-05-15

The combination of Morricone and Ma is pure perfection. This CD fills my heart with so much joy that I could just cry. I listen to it almost daily and have given it away as a gift to my loved ones. I am captivated by their incredible talents, and I know you will be too.

Yo Yo Ma and the Maestro Marvelous!!!.......2007-05-13

Having recently succumbed to Yo Yo Ma after a longtime love of Ennio Marricone I was excited to get this CD from Amazon. It is superb! All of the songs had to be recrafted by Morricone to suit Yo Yo Ma but it is a great listen as you sonically travel down memory lane through some of Maestro Moricone's musical marvels. "Gabriel's Oboe" from "The Mission" now becomes "Gabriel's Cello." I laugh as Yo Yo Ma bows his brains out on the "Ecstacy of Gold' from "The Good,The Bad, and The Ugly." I recommend this to all Yo Yo Ma and Morricone fans...a great listen. Soothing after a hard day!

Better Every Time.......2007-05-09

This CD gets better with every listening. It was a great purchase.

Fabulous CD.......2007-05-07

I love Morricone and this CD has some of the best versions of my favorite pieces. I have ordered several as gifts for friends.

Average customer rating: Romance of the Violin End of the Day Wonderful! Over and over and over.... Non-standard CD format

Romance of the Violin Claude Debussy , Fryderyk Chopin , Camille Saint-Saens , Franz Schubert , Vincenzo Bellini , Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , Christoph Willibald Gluck , Alexander Borodin , Antonin Dvorak , Claudio Monteverdi , Jules Massenet , Robert Schumann , Michael Stern , Craig Ogden , Gregory Knowles , John Constable , Jacob Heringman , and Stephen Orton Manufacturer: Sony ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Bellini, Vincenzo | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Borodin | Borodin, Alexander | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Chopin | Chopin, Frédéric | ( C ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Dvorák, Antonín | ( D ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Debussy | Debussy, Claude | ( D ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Gluck | Gluck, Christoph W. | ( G ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Massenet | Massenet, Jules | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Monteverdi | Monteverdi, Claudio | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Puccini | Puccini, Giacomo | ( P ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Saint-Saëns, Camille | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Schubert | Schubert, Franz | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Robert Schumann | Schumann, Robert | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Concertos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Nocturnes | Short Forms | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Keyboard | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Piano | Keyboard | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Bell, Joshua | ( B ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Modern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music Pop | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music Classical | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music All Blowout Music | Blowout Music | Stores | Music More Titles at Least 25% Off | Blowout Music | Stores | Music Classical Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Classical Instrumental Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Opera & Vocal | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Similar Items: Voice of the Violin Ladies in Lavender Joshua Bell - Gershwin Fantasy Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto [Hybrid SACD] The Red Violin: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack ASIN: B0000DG06L Release Date: 2003-10-28

Tracks:

1. O mio babbino caro (from 'Gianni Schicchi')
2. The Girl With Flaxen Hair (from Preludes, Book I; La fille aux cheveux delin: Prelude for Piano L 117/8)
3. Nocturne in C sharp minor (Op Post)
4. The Swan (from Carnival of the Animals)
5. Serenade (from 'Schwanengesang' song cycle for voice and piano, D 957
6. Casta Diva (from 'Norma')
7. Andante from Piano Concerto No. 21 in C Major K. 467
8. Nocturne from Quartet for Strings No. 2 in D Major: 3rd movement
9. Dance of the Blessed Spirits (from 'Orfeo ed Euridice')
10. Songs My Mother Taught Me, song for voice and piano B104/4 Op 55/4
11. Pur ti Miro (from 'L'incoronazione di Poppea')
12. Elegie (Elegie 'O doux printemps d'autrefois' for voice and piano)
13. Traumerei ('Kinderszenen' for piano, Op 15, No. 7 'Dreaming')

Amazon.com

Every track on this CD contains a beautiful melody, many of them easily recognizable, all of them exuding tranquility. "O mio babbino caro" from Puccini's Gianni Schicchi opens the disc, with Bell delicately accompanied by a harp and spinning the long melody with great sensitivity. Bellini's "Casta diva" from Norma lives up to its reputation as the epitome of bel canto in Bell's hands; his violin sings. The middle movement of Mozart's 21st Piano Concerto takes well to the violin, and Debussy's "The Girl with the Flaxen Hair" is played with great warmth and sensuality. It would be easy to turn a recital like this into treacle, but Bell is wise enough to realize that the music is already sweet enough and he plays with great reserve and a minimum of sentimental slides. The light accompaniments always support, with woodwinds prominent but used with grace. This CD, in short, is a beauty: a fine gift, a lovely mood setter. --Robert Levine

Customer Reviews:

Romance of the Violin.......2007-07-16

While it's not my very favorite Joshua Bell CD, this is a pleasure to listen to!

End of the Day.......2007-06-08

I am a Joshua Bell fan, and this album is the one that I enjoy with my dessert, it calms me at the end of the day, and makes me think of my 6 year old granddaughter's visit. She has to have music on during meals at her home. Usually it is some kid stuff, but I do not have anything like she has at home, so I chose to play Joshua Bell during our dinner. When I placed the dessert before her, she looked up at me and said: "This music is so beautiful, I want to play the violin just like that". What more could I say.
He is inspiring, and she is right. This album is beautiful.

Wonderful!.......2007-05-30

I play this for my grandson to nap by. It is so relaxing and wonderful!

Over and over and over...........2007-05-17

That's how I want to play this CD! It's a wonderful line-up of rich, mellow, captivating compositions played with a warmth and vibrancy that is seldom heard. Joshua at his very best. You won't be disappointed.

Non-standard CD format.......2007-04-22

The music on this CD deserves five stars, but the CD itself is a non-standard format that doesn't work on all players. There's a tiny warning on the back of the CD. You won't notice the warning until you discover that the CD doesn't work on your player. My Macintosh computer wouldn't read the non-standard format so there was no way for me to listen in my office or put the music on my iPod.

A friend's PC was able to read the CD and make a copy in standard format that can be read on any player, including my Mac. The story had a happy ending, but I can not comprehend why the publisher chose the oddball CD specification.

The music is excellent and worth the trouble of making a copy, but the publisher really shouldn't make you go to that effort just to listen to a CD that you paid for.

Average customer rating: Excellent resource for wedding planners Great item! Preview your wedding day 25 WEDDING FAVORITES 25 Wedding Favorites

25 Wedding Favorites Manufacturer: Vox (Classical) ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by J.S. Bach | Bach, Johann Sebastian | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Franck, César | ( F ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Gounod | Gounod, Charles | ( G ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Grieg, Edvard | ( G ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Handel | Handel, George Frideric | ( H ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Pachelbel | Pachelbel, Johann | ( P ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Schubert | Schubert, Franz | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Vivaldi | Vivaldi, Antonio | ( V ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Wagner | Wagner, Richard | ( W ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Mendelssohn | Mendelssohn, Felix | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Concertos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Character Pieces | Short Forms | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Sonatas | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Incidental Music | Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Trumpet | Brass | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music General | Keyboard | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Violin | Strings | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Manhattan Chamber Orchestra | ( M ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Minnesota Orchestra | ( M ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Cantatas | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Oratorios | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Cantatas | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Oratorios | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Songs & Lieder | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Wedding Music | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music CDs Under $7 | Classical General | Classical | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music All Bargain Titles | Classical General | Classical | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music 4-for-3 Classical | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Classical Wedding A Day to Remember - Instrumental Music for Your Wedding Day Bride's Guide to Wedding Music Heart Beats: Now & Forever - Timeless Wedding Songs The Knot Collection of Ceremony and Wedding Music Selected by the Knot's Carley Roney ASIN: B00004Y6T1 Release Date: 2000-09-05

Tracks:

1. Wedding March (Lohengrin)
2. Allegro I (Water Music) - Stanislaw Skrowaczewski
3. Trumpet Voluntary
4. Minuet (Music For The Royal Fireworks)
5. Canon in D Major
6. Spring - Susan Lautenbacher
7. Arrival Of The Queen Of Sheba (Solomon)
8. Air (Water Music) - Stanislaw Skrowaczewski
9. Sheep May Safely Graze (Cantana No. 208)
10. Arioso
11. Bist Du Bei Mir' (Anna Magdalena Notebook)
12. Panis Angelicus
13. Weichet Nur' (Wedding Cantata)
14. Silent Worship (Tolomeo) - Mary Ann Hart
15. Ave Maria
16. Sehet In Zufriedenheit' (Wedding Cantata)
17. Ave Maria
18. Jesu Joy Of Man's Desiring
19. Air On The G String - Mainz Chamber Orchestra
20. Pastorale (Messiah) - Eastman Chorale
21. Nocturne - Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra
22. Wedding Day At Troldhaugen - Utah Symphony Orchestra
23. Hornpipe (Water Music)
24. Wedding March
25. Toccata (5th Symphony)

Customer Reviews:

Excellent resource for wedding planners.......2007-04-05

I work regularly with people planning church weddings who want the service to be dignified, traditional and formal. Often they have "ear memory" of music they've heard in other weddings, but no idea about its composer or title. This CD is the best compilation I've found of music that fits those requirements. Selections include great music and performances make it easy to imagine how they would sound in a particular church or other setting. Includes works by Protestant, Catholic and secular composers.

Great item!.......2007-03-29

Great CD! Perfect when planning your wedding music. There are a variety of songs from various composers.

Preview your wedding day.......2006-08-14

This CD was inexpensive, and provided a great way to preview songs for my wedding. The CD had a good song selection. My fiance and I were able to get a better idea of how the songs would be at our wedding. Definitely an inexpensive tool that is worthwhile.

25 WEDDING FAVORITES.......2006-07-20

My daughter had to move her wedding 3 weeks before the event and the music she had arranged could not be there. I purchased this CD and we were thrilled with the price, the selections on the cd and how quickly it arrived. Thanks for providing the music for a beautiful wedding.

25 Wedding Favorites.......2006-02-24

This is an excellent CD for a formal wedding, so-so for a casual one.

Average customer rating: Lives Up To The Title, Fine Variety Of Genre's. Good for relaxing pregnant women Too much opera Does what it set out to do, very well TRULY The most relaxing and beautiful music ever written.

The Most Relaxing Classical Album in the World...Ever! Johann Sebastian Bach , Léo Delibes , Gabriel Fauré , Erik Satie , Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , Edvard Grieg , Johann Pachelbel , Claude Debussy , Felix Mendelssohn , Camille Saint-Saens , Henryk Gorecki , Antonio Vivaldi , Edward Elgar , Jocelyn Pook , Sergey Rachmaninov , Tomaso Giovanni Albinoni , Luigi Boccherini , Jules Massenet , Ludwig van Beethoven , Jacques Offenbach , Pietro Mascagni , Antonin Dvorak , Giacomo Puccini , Ralph Vaughan Williams , Alexander Borodin , Joaquin Rodrigo , and Samuel Barber Manufacturer: Angel Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music Quintets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Albinoni | Albinoni, Tomaso | ( A ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by J.S. 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The Most Relaxing Classical Music in the Universe 25 Classical Favorites Best of the Millennium: Top 40 Classical Hits ASIN: B00000I93Z Release Date: 1999-03-30

Tracks:

1. Air 'On the G String' - Academy Of St. Martin In The Fields
2. Morning - Academy Of St. Martin In The Fields
3. Canon In D - Academy Of St. Martin In The Fields
4. Jesu, Joy Of Man's Desiring - Academy Of St. Martin In The Fields
5. Gymnopedie No.1 - City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
6. II. Andante - Stephen Hough
7. Viens, Mallika - Mady Mesple
8. In Paradisum - Choir Of King's College, Cambridge
9. Clair De Lune - Dame Moura Lympany
10. II. Andate - Yehudi Menuhin
11. The Swan - Osian Ellis
12. II. Lento E Largo - Tranquillissimo - Zofia Kilanowicz
13. II. Andantino - James Galway
14. II. Largo - Yehudi Menuhin
15. Nimrod - London Symphony Orchestra
16. Blow the Wind - Pie Jesu - Jocelyn Pook
17. Variation 18 - Cecile Ousset
18. Pavane Op.50 - Gareth Morris

Tracks:

1. Zion Hort Die Wachter Singen - South German Madrigal Choir
2. Adagio In G Minor - Academy Of St. Martin In The Fields
3. Minuet - Academy Of St. Martin In The Fields
4. II. Largo - Andrei Gavrilov
5. Meditation - Hans Kalafusz
6. I. Adagio Sostenuto - Dame Moura Lympany
7. Belle Nuit, O Nuit D'amour (Barcarolle) - Elisabeth Schwarzkopf
8. II. Andante - Nigel North
9. II. Adagio - Jack Brymer
10. Intermezzo - Philharmonia Orchestra
11. I. Moderato - London Chamber Orchestra
12. O Mio Babbino Caro - Montserrat Caballe
13. Fantasia On 'Greensleeves' - Sinfonia Of London
14. II. Adagio Sostenuto (Opening) - Cecile Ousset
15. Nocturne - Academy Of St. Martin In The Fields
16. II. Adagio (Opening) - Julian Bream
17. Adagio For Strings Op.11a - The Philadelphia Orchestra
18. Entr'acte To Act III - Orchestre National De France

Amazon.com

You want relaxing classical music that'll soothe your soul but won't lull you into sleep? Here's a double CD for you. The Most Relaxing Classical Album in the World ... Ever! does its best to cover both well-worn classical favorites (Bach's "Air on the G String," Pachelbel's "Cannon," Debussy's "Clair de Lune") and some eclectic left-field choices (an excerpt from Górecki's Symphony No. 3, Jocelyn Pook's "Blow the Wind," and Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings. The performances of most of these excerpts are top-notch--artists include Sir Neville Marriner, James Galway, Jacqueline du Pré and the Philadelphia Orchestra--and there's enough variety here for everyone. --Edward Garabedian

Customer Reviews:

Lives Up To The Title, Fine Variety Of Genre's........2007-02-04

This CD is a great way to enjoy a large variety of Classical Composers & many of their best known pieces. Vivaldi's "Four Seasons," is an all time favorite. There are vocals, Piano pieces, & some fine Violins. I found the latter the most enjoyable. Here you can find Rodrigo & Pachelbell. Samuel Barber's haunting Adagio will make your skin tingle. This may not be to everyones taste, but if you wish to relax? Give this a couple of listens.

Good for relaxing pregnant women.......2007-01-17

I stumbled onto this album whilst searching bit torrent websites for classical music. I don't normally listen to classical music but thought it might be relaxing for my pregnant wife. After hearing the quality of the performances, the arrangement, and the recording I decided to buy the album from amazon. All the songs you would expect from a "best album in the world" are there and they are not boring to listen to like a lot of other classical albums. I now play this album in the car constantly and the wife requested it be played at the hospital during the birth.

Too much opera.......2007-01-10

If it wasn't for the opera this would be a great CD.

Does what it set out to do, very well.......2006-11-15

So i'm a classical music veteran, someone who prefers to collect a complete work, rather than classical compilations. I probably would not have listened to this album at all if my dad didnt buy it for me as a gift. By now, i own the complete works that over half of the excepts on this disc come from. I am a purist if ever there was one.

That said, i totally adore this set because i have learned to take it on its own terms. These discs weren't meant for expert classical listeners, so a review from that sort of mindset is useless. This set was meant for pure, easy listening, and for a basic starters kit for classical newbies. Most of all, it was just meant to do what the title says, to relax the average human being. classical expert or not.

Yes, some of these pieces have been altered or shortened, like Mozart's Flute and Harp Concerto Andantino, but they have been edited for a good enough reason: the full versions would have been too long to flow with the rest of the album. And also, the full versions contain so much development that they don't become easy listening anymore. The shortened versions work in the context of the album. Most essentially, the shortened versions on the discs still convey the main flavor the composers were going for. The melodies and themes remain unchanged.

To sum up, it is true that when i want to actually listen deeply to classical music, this album would never be a choice. I would want to hear the complete works like the composers intended. But at certain times when i simply don't mind about that stuff, when i just need to loosen up and free my mind of stress with some nice melodies, this set does the job well enough.

Last but not least: being a purist and a classical buff, i am very particular about performance quality. I was very glad to find that EMI did not get lazy about this. All the artists are world-class, and all the performances are at least exceptional. Some performances are even quite excellent, like the Clair De Lune, which is one of the best i've heard. (Credit to Dame Lympany, the pianist.)

So once again, recommended for its stated purpose, to relax. I am a purist, a classical buff, and i still enjoy this disc. That says something.

TRULY The most relaxing and beautiful music ever written........2006-11-10

This album along with Volume 2 are now the two most valued albums in my music collection. I have all of the songs contained on these two albums but they are scattered through at least a dozen different albums and several are not performed by artists such as those that recorded this album and Volume 2.
SIMPLY BEAUTIFUL !!!!!!!!!!

Average customer rating: Not exactly.... Not what I expected. Excellent relaxing music and sleep aid nice try... Bedtime Beats: The Secret to Sleep

Bedtime Beats: The Secret to Sleep Manufacturer: Rhino / Wea ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Pavanes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music Quintets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Albinoni | Albinoni, Tomaso | ( A ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by J.S. Bach | Bach, Johann Sebastian | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Beethoven | Beethoven, Ludwig van | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Chopin | Chopin, Frédéric | ( C ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Fauré, Gabriel | ( F ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Puccini | Puccini, Giacomo | ( P ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Ravel, Maurice | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Respighi | Respighi, Ottorino | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Saint-Saëns, Camille | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Satie | Satie, Erik | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Tchaikovsky | Tchaikovsky, Peter Ilyich | ( T ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Vaughan Williams, Ralph | ( V ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Vivaldi | Vivaldi, Antonio | ( V ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Debussy | Debussy, Claude | ( D ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Concertos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Nocturnes | Short Forms | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Sonatinas | Sonatas | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Variations | Forms & Genres | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Requiems | Forms & Genres | Early Music | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Vaughan Williams, Ralph | Composers | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Contemporary | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Keyboard | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Piano | Keyboard | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Violin | Strings | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Compilations | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Choruses | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Requiems | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Rhino Records | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Classical | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music All Blowout Music | Blowout Music | Stores | Music More Titles at Least 25% Off | Blowout Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Pillow Music - Natural Deep Sleep Sleep Soundly The Most Relaxing Classical Album in the World...Ever! Beethoven at Bedtime: A Gentle Prelude to Sleep Delta Sleep System ASIN: B000GH3PQ8 Release Date: 2006-09-12

Tracks:

1. Vivaldi: Concerto in D Major, "Largo" -- Sharon Isbin
2. Ravel: Piano Cto. in G Major, "Adagio Assai" -- Anne Queffelec
3. Vaughan Williams: Greensleeves -- Davis/BBC Symphony Orchestra
4. Satie: Gymnopedie No. 1 & 3 -- Sado/Orchestre Des Concerts Lamoureux
5. Beethoven: Piano Cto. No. 5, "Adagio Un Poco Mosso" -- Pierre-Laurent Aimard
6. Ravel: Pavane Pour Une Infante Defunte -- Nagano/lyon National Opera Ochestra
7. Puccini: Chrysamthemums -- Helsinki Strings
8. Mozart: Adagio for Violin and Orchestra in E Major -- Thomas Zehetmair
9. Chopin: Piano Cto. No. 2, "Larghetto" -- Maria-Joao Pires
10. Resighi: Villanella -- Scimone/I Solisti Veneti
11. Faure: In Paradisum -- Corboz/Berne Symphony Orchestra

Tracks:

1. J.S. Bach: Goldberg Variations, "Aria" -- Jill Crossland
2. Tchaikovsky: Andante Cantabile -- Alexander Kniazev
3. Debussy: The Girl With The Flaxan Hair -- Lily Laskine
4. Mozart: Piano Cto. No. 21, "Andante" -- Karl Engel
5. Chopin: Nocturne In E flat Major -- Elisabeth Leonskaja
6. J.S. Bach: Harpsichord Cto. In F Minor, "Adagio" -- Sharon Isbin
7. Mozart: Clarinet Quintet, "Larghetto" -- Karl Leister
8. Saint-Saens: The Swan -- Gennadi Rojdestvenski
9. Albinoni/Giazotto: "Adagio" -- Sharon Isbin
10. Faure: Pavane Pour Orchestre -- Jordan/Orchestre De Chambre De Lausanne
11. Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 14, Moonlight "Adagio Sostenuto" -- Nikolai Lugansky

Album Description

Created to meet the needs of more than 40 million sleep sufferers and light-eyars beyond lullabies, Bedtime Beats: The Secret To Sleep is the first classical music collection available as a true sleep remedy, an effective alternative to medication and sleepless nights. Carefully programmed in accordance with recent research from Case Western Reserve University--which discovered that classical and soft jazz music played at 60-80 beats per minute induces sound sleep.

Customer Reviews:

Not exactly...........2007-05-14

This cd wasn't exactly what I was looking for, it does not really help you fall asleep. Some of the music can be annoying and it could have been more soothing.

Not what I expected........2007-04-26

I should have paid attention to the two negative reviews. This CD doesn't put me to sleep at all--in fact, it keeps me awake. I find myself listening to the music instead of going to sleep.

One of the pieces has irritating and dissonant passages mingled with relaxing, soothing passages. Also the music changes tempo and volume quite often, which would wake me up if I did start to drift off.

Since I expected something that would put me to sleep, listening to this is upsetting, because I wasted my money.

However, since it works well for most reviewers, I figure I must hear things differently, or have a harder time falling asleep than most. Maybe if I listened to it enough to get used to it, it might work better.

I would like to find something totally soothing and relaxing--maybe I need actual recordings of water or rain, but I prefer music. Any suggestions?

Excellent relaxing music and sleep aid.......2007-04-10

This CD collection is so effective that I still have not made it through the first CD to listen to the second one. It's very relaxing music and helps me fall asleep every night.

nice try..........2007-02-06

but no silver bullet. FOR ME. Lovely selection of tunes, and I find them quite enjoyable and relaxing, but they just don't "knock me out". I own a variety of "sleep CD's" but real music seems to be just too stimulating when I am having trouble sleeping. I do better with guided imagery. Yesterday, though, I brought it over to my mom's place and laid down to listen to it with her, because she was so stressed out. She was asleep before the third number!

Bedtime Beats: The Secret to Sleep.......2007-01-29

My son has a hard time falling asleep at night. The CD's have helped significantly in allowing him to have a good nights sleep. Highly recommended!

Average customer rating: the most relaxing classical music in the university Relaxing Classical Music Stress-freedom Greatly enjoy! the most relaxing classical music in the universe

The Most Relaxing Classical Music in the Universe Tomaso Giovanni Albinoni , Johann Sebastian Bach , Ralph Vaughan Williams , George Frideric Handel , Gustav Holst , Samuel Barber , Edvard Grieg , Jean Sibelius , Antonin Dvorak , Franz Liszt , Charles Gounod , Fryderyk Chopin , Alexander Borodin , Maurice Ravel , Antonio Vivaldi , Satie, Erik , and Various Artists Manufacturer: Denon Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Pavanes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Albinoni | Albinoni, Tomaso | ( A ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by J.S. Bach | Bach, Johann Sebastian | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Barber | Barber, Samuel | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Beethoven | Beethoven, Ludwig van | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Borodin | Borodin, Alexander | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Chopin | Chopin, Frédéric | ( C ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Dvorák, Antonín | ( D ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Debussy | Debussy, Claude | ( D ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Gounod | Gounod, Charles | ( G ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Grieg, Edvard | ( G ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Handel | Handel, George Frideric | ( H ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Holst | Holst, Gustav | ( H ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Janácek, Leos | ( J ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Liszt | Liszt, Franz | ( L ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Pachelbel | Pachelbel, Johann | ( P ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Ravel, Maurice | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Satie | Satie, Erik | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Sibelius | Sibelius, Jean | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Tchaikovsky | Tchaikovsky, Peter Ilyich | ( T ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Vaughan Williams, Ralph | ( V ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Vivaldi | Vivaldi, Antonio | ( V ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Concertos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Etudes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Divertimentos | Serenades & Divertimentos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Bagatelles | Short Forms | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Sonatinas | Sonatas | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Tone Poems | Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Variations | Forms & Genres | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music | Cantatas | Romances General | Vaughan Williams, Ralph | Composers | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Contemporary | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Keyboard | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Piano | Keyboard | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Violin | Strings | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Compilations | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Choruses | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Songs & Lieder | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Similar Items: The Most Relaxing Classical Album In the World Ever, Volume II The Most Relaxing Classical Album in the World...Ever! The Most Relaxing Piano Album in the World...Ever! More Of The Most Relaxing Classical Music In The Universe Mozart for Relaxation ASIN: B00008RH16 Release Date: 2003-04-08

Tracks:

1. Canon - Pachelbel
2. Eine Kleine Nachtmusik-Andante - Mozart
3. Fur Elise - Beethoven
4. String Quartet #1 - Tchaikovsky
5. Clair De Lune - Debussy
6. Idyl for Strings - Adagio - Janacek
7. Adagio in G Mnor - Albinoni
8. The Girl with the Flaxen Hair - Debussy
9. Air on a G String - Bach
10. Greensleeves - Vaughn Williams
11. Largo from Xerxes - Handel
12. Prelude in C - Bach
13. The Planets - Venus - Holst
14. Goldberg Variations - Aria - Bach
15. Adagio for Strings - Barber

Tracks:

1. Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun - Debussy
2. Fur Elise - Beethoven
3. Holberg Suite - Sarabande - Grieg
4. Valse Triste - Sibelius
5. Concerto in F Minor - Largo - Bach
6. Serenade for String - Moderato - Dvorak
7. Liebestraume - Liszt
8. Ave Maria - Bach/Bounod
9. Etude in E Major - Chopin
10. String Quartet No 2 - Nocturne - Borodin
11. Arabesque - Debussy
12. Pavane for Dead Princess - Ravel
13. The Four Seasons - Largo - Vivaldi
14. Gymno0pedie 1 - Satie
15. Moonlight Sonata - Adagio - Beethoven
16. Piano Concerto No 21 - Andante - Mozart "Elvira Madigan"

Customer Reviews:

the most relaxing classical music in the university.......2007-05-12

All my favorites. I can start the CD player, which is wired to speakers in every room of my house, and just let it play, along with "The Most Relaxing Classical Music in the World" and "The Most Relaxing Classical Guitar in the World." I enjoy an awareness of familiar and beautiful strains of my favorites all day long and never get tired of it.

My brother visited me recently and noticed it right away. That will be another order for this fabulour music.

Relaxing Classical Music.......2007-01-08

I was not really a classical music fan but I am now. I purchased this cd for my 14 year old grand-daughter, not knowing we would both enjoy the music so much. She has always enjoyed classical music along with all of the other teen music, rap, rock, country, etc.
Also, it really helped being able to listen to parts of the music before purchasing.

Stress-freedom.......2006-03-14

Perfect music to end the work day. After listening to this I can face the evening. If the morning is hard, a little at lunch time gets me through the afternoon.

Greatly enjoy!.......2006-02-23

I first developed a taste for this music a number of years ago when my daughter started playing in the orchestra. The reason I made this purchase however, was because I have a great deal of difficulty with anxiety and I was looking for ways to find help. I love these CDs. It helps so much to sit and close my eyes and enjoy the music. The CDs are full of beautiful music.

the most relaxing classical music in the universe.......2005-09-21

it's the best next to the first one...

Average customer rating: Lost is Found, finally Martha Argerich CD Fabulous recording Excellent A restored jewel in the Argerich catalog

Martha Argerich Plays Chopin: The Legendary 1965 Recording Martha Argerich Manufacturer: EMI Classics ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Polonaises | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Chopin | Chopin, Frédéric | ( C ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Nocturnes | Short Forms | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Sonatinas | Sonatas | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Scherzo | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Keyboard | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Argerich, Martha | ( A ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music $9.99 and Under | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music All Classical Music Blowout | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Chopin, Frédéric | ( C ) | Composers, A-Z | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Argerich, Martha | ( A ) | Performers, A-Z | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Instrumental | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Similar Items: Debut Recital / Martha Argerich Rachmaninoff: Concerto No. 3 in D minor, Op. 30 / Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1 in B flat minor, Op. 23 J.S. Bach: Toccata, Partita, English Suite 2/ Martha Argerich Chopin, Liszt: Piano Concertos / Martha Argerich, London Symphony Orchestra Chopin: 26 Préludes, etc / Martha Argerich ASIN: B00000IWVS Release Date: 1999-05-18

Tracks:

1. Piano Sonata No.3 In B Minor, Op.58: I. Allegro maetoso
2. Piano Sonata No.3 In B Minor, Op.58: II. Scherzo: Molto vivace
3. Piano Sonata No.3 In B Minor, Op.58: III. Largo
4. Piano Sonata No.3 In B Minor, Op.58: IV. Finale: Presto, non tanto
5. Mazurka No.36 In A Minor, Op.59 No.1
6. Mazurka No.37 In A-flat, Op.59 No.2
7. Mazurka No.38 In F-sharp Minor, Op.59 No.3
8. Nocturne No.4 In F, Op.15 No.1
9. Scherzo No.3 In C-sharp Minor, Op.39
10. Polonaise No.6 In A-flat, Op.53

Amazon.com's Best of 1999

Record-label politics prevented this awesome recording of Argentinean pianist Martha Argerich from being released for 34 years. The spitfire musician delivers a powerful set of Chopin's best-loved works that still sounds riveting today. Intense and gorgeous. --Jason Verlinde

Amazon.com essential recording

How can it be that a recording by one of today's indisputably unequaled pianists performing some of her prime repertory--made fresh within months of her triumph in the 1965 Warsaw International Chopin Competition--could languish for decades in the vaults before its official release? Chalk it up to the exclusivity clauses of rival recording companies and legal constraints from which not even Wotan with the help of Loge could extricate himself. Thankfully this belated EMI release--recorded in a few sessions at the Abbey Road studios--is finally available.

It's a significant complement to Argerich's other accounts of Chopin on disc. From the white-hot intensity of Argerich's way with the composer, you can easily extrapolate a sense of what had recently wowed the jury in Warsaw. The Argentinean pianist undertakes the Third Sonata as a vast, big-voiced, far-reaching statement that encompasses both molten power and moments of almost unbearably intimate lyricism (listen closely to her gestures of illumination in the Largo). With a characteristically unforced spontaneity, Argerich sounds the shattering chords that launch the finale (recorded in one take); her sense of flow in the Nocturne No. 4 is a perfect mesh for the illusion of improvising that is so central to Chopin. She commands the logic--both emotional and musical--of the composer's skittish turns in the Scherzo No. 3 and crafts three of the mazurkas into perfectly chiseled character pieces. The sheer force of Argerich's personality might seem overwhelming to those accustomed to a tamer Chopin--listen to how she dives into the A-flat Polonaise--but it's always at work dusting off tired clichés and uncovering the music's expressive wealth. For those who know about Argerich's artistry, this disc is indispensable; anyone who has yet to make that enviable discovery will find it (together with the Argerich anthology in Philips' Great Pianists series) a great place to begin. --Thomas May

Customer Reviews:

Lost is Found, finally.......2007-07-08

This Argerich Chopin performance, recorded by EMI in 1965 while she was actually under contract to DG is formidable for an artist so early in her career. Both the artistry and sound are superb and it's a shame we fans had to wait so long for this recording to appear. These Chopin performances completely justify the competition judges decision to award her the grand prize at the 1965 Warsaw International Chopin Competition. It's a collection must have!

Martha Argerich CD.......2007-06-12

Excellent service -- speedy, just as described, well-packaged. I'd definitely buy from this seller again.

Fabulous recording.......2007-04-12

A most interesting history in the liner notes and a fabulous recording. One of the best for a piano CD collection.

Excellent.......2007-04-12

Only one word: Excellent.
Though someone might have different feeling, I'm crazy on this 1965 recording.

A restored jewel in the Argerich catalog.......2006-09-03

If I had to pick a single CD to win awed admiration for Martha Argerich, this Chopin recital would be it. Only 24 when she made these long-suppressed recordings, Argerich's musicality and dazzling technqiue defy belief. Every ounce of praise for her Third Sonata is deserved--it's spontaneous, flexible, intense, by turns tender and declamatory. The most blessed quality is that she doesn't bang or harangue us--not always the case in later years. Her sense of urgency doesn't become eckless; the bursts of excitment aren't oerly explosive.

My only caveat would be for audiophiles. Although an Abbey Road studio recording, you get the feeling somewhat that Argerich is performing in a boomy hall. Also, in the loudest fortes there's mircophone shatter. For many listeners these drawbacks won't matter a whit, not in the face of an undisputed keyboard genius.

Average customer rating: Why are you waiting? Chopin: Favorite Piano Works Chopin: Favorite Piano Works (London 2 CD) chopins Mazurkas REST FOR THIS WEARY SOUL

Chopin: Favorite Piano Works Manufacturer: Decca ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Mazurkas | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music Polonaises | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music Waltzes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Chopin | Chopin, Frédéric | ( C ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Ballads | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Etudes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Fantasies | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Nocturnes | Short Forms | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Scherzo | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Keyboard | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Ashkenazy, Vladimir | ( A ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music Barcarolles | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music The Decca Records Store | Specialty Stores | Music Similar Items: Chopin: The Complete Nocturnes And Impromptus Beethoven: Favourite Piano Sonatas / Vladimir Ashkenazy Mozart: The Great Piano Concertos, Vol. 1 Essential Mozart: 32 Of His Greatest Masterpieces Liszt: Favourite Piano Works ASIN: B00000427J Release Date: 1996-02-13

Tracks:

1. Grande Valse brillante, op. 18
2. Fantaisie Imprpmptu, Op. 66
3. Nocturne In E flat Major, Op. 9 No. 2
4. Waltz In A Minor, Op 34 No. 2
5. Mazurka In D Major, Op. 33 No. 2
6. Scherzo In B Flat Minor.D Flat Major, Op. 31
7. Waltz In A flat Major, Op 69 No. 2
8. Nocturne In F Sharp Major, Op. 15 No. 2
9. Waltz In B Minor, Op. 69 No. 2
10. Ballade In G Minor, Op. 23
11. Mazurka In B Flat Major, Op. 7 No. 1
12. Waltz In G Flat Major, Op. 70 No. 1
13. Nocturne In B Major, Op 32 No. 1
14. Polonaise In A Flat Major, Op. 53

Tracks:

1. Ballade No3 In A Flat Major Op.47
2. Prelude In C Sharp Minor, Op. 45
3. Waltz In D Flat Major, Op. 64 No. 1 'Minute'
4. Waltz In C Sharp Minor, Op. 64 No.2
5. Etude In C Minor, Op. 10 No. 12 'Revolutionary'
6. Etude In G Flat Major, Op.10 No.5 'Black Key'
7. Nocturne In F Minor, Op. 55 No.1
8. Polonaise In A Major, Op. 40 No. 1 'Military'
9. Barcarolle In F Sharp Major, Op. 60
10. Prelude In D Flat Major, Op.28 No. 15 'Raindrop'
11. Etude In A Minor, Op. 25 No. 11 'Winter Wind'
12. Etude In E Major, Op. 10 No. 3 'Tristesse'
13. Scherzo No.3 In C Sharp Minor, Op.39

Customer Reviews:

Why are you waiting?.......2006-12-16

Ashkenazy is one of the titans of Chopin. Davidovich and Arrau are the other two. They're all you need. Get Davidovich for the concertos, (inlcuding the Krakowiak--Op 14), Arrau for the nocturnes and a few micscellaneous pieces. Ashkenazy handles everything else.

(Btw, Ashkenazy vs. Davidovich re. the impromptus is a toss up. But since the impromptus aren't on this disc, you can make that critical decision another time.)

Ashkenazy's scherzo #2 (op. 31) IS the best. Period. Other interpretations that your favorite classical music station may substitute are downright lame.

The rest are basically sublime. The first and 4th ballades will send shivers up your spine by Vlad's sheer technical ability. His artistry is second to none.

Chopin: Favorite Piano Works.......2006-07-25

An excellent complilation of Chopin works which includes 3 of the pieces I am currently learning. Definitely has encouraged me to improve my piano skills and allow me to better appreciate his style of music.

Chopin: Favorite Piano Works (London 2 CD).......2006-02-24

Beautifully done 2 CD of Chopin works. I've played it every weekend since I got it, loving every track. It's well performed and recorded, and is an excellent collection for anyone interested in Chopin or his adopted homeland of Poland. And, of course, you can't often go wrong with the London Label.

chopins Mazurkas.......2005-08-08

this is a wonderful collection of the mazurkas but Ashkenazy plays a lot of them too fast my music teacher played these with more pathos he seems like he cant get done fast enough with some of them some introductions should be slower with more feeling otherwise all the mazurkas i wanted are in this disc just wish i had got better artist like Claude Arrau

REST FOR THIS WEARY SOUL.......2005-03-09

On vinyl I owned Ashkenazy's complete recordings of Chopin's piano works. Prior to purchasing this CD of what I call "highlights from Vladimir's Chopin Recordings", I had not replaced them in this format. What a joy it is to hear Vladimir Ashkenazy play these works again. I'm reminded of how much I loved his playing of Chopin on vinyl looking forward to each "new release" with great anticipation. Being, what is referred to, as a "senior citizen" , Chopin's music means ever so much to me offering rest for this weary soul. Vladimir Ashkenazy's performances on these discs are first rate and ones I truly love. As a previous reviewer pointed out, this compellation is a bargain-great price, great music, great sound and great performances by a master of Chopin's music.

If you love Chopin, as I do, buy this recording it will sooth your soul as only great music can.

Average customer rating: something to have Excellent Music buy now Lovely Aesthetically Pleasing

The Most Relaxing Piano Album in the World...Ever! Manufacturer: EMI Classics ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Minuets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music Waltzes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by J.S. Bach | Bach, Johann Sebastian | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Beethoven | Beethoven, Ludwig van | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Brahms | Brahms, Johannes | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Chopin | Chopin, Frédéric | ( C ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Fauré, Gabriel | ( F ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Granados, Enrique | ( G ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Grieg, Edvard | ( G ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Liszt | Liszt, Franz | ( L ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Mendelssohn | Mendelssohn, Felix | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Satie | Satie, Erik | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Robert Schumann | Schumann, Robert | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Shostakovich | Shostakovich, Dmitri | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Debussy | Debussy, Claude | ( D ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Rachmaninov | Rachmaninov, Sergei | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Concertos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Etudes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Bagatelles | Short Forms | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Character Pieces | Short Forms | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Nocturnes | Short Forms | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Sonatinas | Sonatas | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Variations | Forms & Genres | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Keyboard | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Piano | Keyboard | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music Compilations | Classical | Styles | Music Lullabies & Berceuse | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Cantatas | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Cantatas | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music Pop | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music Classical | Styles | Blowout Music | Stores | Music All Blowout Music | Blowout Music | Stores | Music More Titles at Least 25% Off | Blowout Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: The Most Relaxing Classical Album in the World...Ever! The Most Relaxing Classical Album In the World Ever, Volume II The Most Relaxing Classical Music in the Universe The Most Relaxing Jazz Music in the Universe The World's Favorite Piano Music ASIN: B000059Q4Q Release Date: 2001-03-27

Tracks:

1. II: Andante - Stephen Hough
2. I: Adagio Sostenuto - Dame Moura Lympany
3. Jesus Bleibet Meine Freude (Jesu, Joy Of Man's Desiring) - Dame Moura Lympany
4. Nocturne No. 2 In E Flat - John Ogdon
5. Clair De Lune - Dame Moura Lympany
6. II: Adagio - Cecile Ousset
7. Tango - Dame Moura Lympany
8. Liebestraum No. 3 In A Flat - John Ogdon
9. Waltz No. 9 In A Flat - Dmitri Alexeev
10. Rhapsody On A Theme Of Paganini - Cecile Ousset
11. Traumerei - Dame Moura Lympany
12. La Maja Y El Ruisenor - Magda Tagliaferro
13. Nocturne No. 5 In F-sharp Minor - Maurizio Pollini
14. Gymnopedie No. 1 - Aldo Ciccolini
15. Fur Elise - Dame Moura Lympany
16. Etude In E 'Tristesse' - John Ogdon
17. Fruhlingslied - Daniel Adni
18. II: Andante - Dmitri Alexeev

Tracks:

1. II: Adagio Cantabile - Walter Gieseking
2. II: Romanze - Annie Fischer
3. Aria - Maria Tipo
4. II: Romance (Larghetto) - Garrick Ohlsson
5. Granada - Gonzalo Soriano
6. Waltz No. 15 In A Flat - Maura Lympany
7. II: Largo - Andrei Gavrilov
8. An Den Fruhling - Daniel Adni
9. Nocturne No. 10 In A Flat - Daniel Adni
10. II: Adagio Un Poco Mosso - Walter Gieseking
11. La Fille Aux Cheveux De Lin - Dame Moura Lympany
12. Cancons I Dansas No. 1 - Gonzalo Soriano
13. II: Adagio Sostenuto (Opening) - Cecile Ousset
14. Prelude No. 15 In D Flat 'Raindrop' - Dmitri Alexeev
15. Gnossienne No. 1 - Aldo Ciccolini
16. Berceuse - Jean-Philippe Collard
17. Minuet In G - Dame Moura Lympany
18. Berceuse In D Flat - Peter Donohoe

Customer Reviews:

something to have.......2007-03-14

These CD's are filled with all the awesome relaxing songs for the evening when you need it. It is just one of those must have items in your CD collection.

Excellent Music.......2007-02-19

This album was a "try and see" purchase but I love it. It makes great dinner music, great music to drift off to sleep with, or just nice background filler during social events needing a softer tone. It is not all solo piano music if that s what you are after; the other instruments blend very well however and don't challenge the piano playing. It is a piano album after all!

buy now.......2006-09-01

Want to know why I think the piano is the best musical instrument ever invented? Because no matter how the piano is played, it will always sound good. Whether the music is fast, slow, quiet or loud, it ALWAYS delivers with an appealing sound. This is something you need to buy.

Lovely.......2006-02-22

This is a beautiful calming cd. The playing is excellent and the pieces are well chosen.

Aesthetically Pleasing.......2005-09-14

I simply love piano music. If you're looking to relax, enjoy a peaceful time, then you must check out this album. If you truly enjoy piano music, this album is by far one of the best you can purchase.

As it says....it is the "Most Relaxing Piano Album in the World...Ever..." Well, I haven't listened to all piano albums in the world, but I don't need to, this one is just perfect for me, and I think you will agree!

I would say the pianists' are extremely accomplished. At times, I would admit-it's a bit 'spine tingling'!

Average customer rating: Volodos the Artist Arcady Volodos, plays Franz Liszt + SACD = Liszt reincarnate? Fabulous Liszt Beyond Stunning More thrilling Liszt would be hard to imagine

Volodos Plays Liszt Manufacturer: Sony Classics ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Liszt | Liszt, Franz | ( L ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Elegies | Requiems, Elegies & Tombeau | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Bagatelles | Short Forms | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Character Pieces | Short Forms | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Nocturnes | Short Forms | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Keyboard | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music Classical Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Similar Items: Haydn: Piano Sonatas Marc-Andre Hamelin: It's All About the Music A Piano Evening with Martha Argerich [DVD Video] Piano Quintet in F Min / Complete String Quartets (1, 2, 3) Chopin, Liszt: Piano Concerto No. 1 ASIN: B000MGB0JW Release Date: 2007-04-17

Tracks:

1. Années de pèlerinage I - Suisse, S 160; No. 6 La vallée d'Obermann
2. Années de pèlerinage II - Italie, S. 161; No. 2 Il penseroso
3. St François d'Assise, S. 175; No. 1 La prédication aux oiseaux
4. Bagatelle sans tonalité, S. 216a
5. Hungarian Rhapsody No. 13, S. 244/13
6. Années de pèlerinage II - Italie, S. 161; No. 1 Sposalizio
7. Prelude in F minor after Bach "Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen", S. 179
8. Harmonies poétiques et religieuses, S. 173; No. 7 Les Funérailles
9. La lugubre gondola (Trauergondel) No. 2, S. 200/2
10. En rêve (Nocturne), S. 207

Customer Reviews:

Volodos the Artist.......2007-05-31

When Liszt was made Director of the new Musical Academy of Budapest, he insisted that all piano students study composition and improvisation. Very few pianists these days have ventured to mix composition and piano playing; the last known few were Busoni, Rachmaninoff, and even Horowitz. All legends of the pianoforte. When Volodos released his first CD, Piano Transcriptions, he set himself apart from the new age of piano virtuosos. He was a singer and conductor before venturing into piano playing. His Turkish March and Cello Paraphrases are musical gems that are rarely seen in this day and age. He has no fear of including his own cadenzas to the pieces that the composer suggests.
After 3 years of complete silence, Volodos returns with an all Liszt CD. And not the commonly known pieces: Valle d'Oberman, Sposalizio, and the atonal Bagatelle. All played perfectly and evocating the deepest memories of Liszt's emotions. Volodos does not need to struggle with such things as technique, he works directly with the sound and the images they convey. He would have been a perfect pupil of Liszt.
After having purchased all of his discs, I'd recommend the Transcriptions and Rach 3 concerto CDs for further Volodos listening. Let us hope more CDs from the blessed hands of Volodos.

Arcady Volodos, plays Franz Liszt + SACD = Liszt reincarnate?.......2007-05-27

Listening to this SACD in multiple channels, I felt faint.

For starters, a listener simply has to hear this recital quite a few times before it even begins to sink in, as music. Like some deity with multiple arms, Volodos exhibits a sheer and athletic physical command of the Steinway keyboard so high and effortless that few players, indeed, could even move into a nearby technical neighborhood. His playing somehow seems to evoke combined associations with Alpine glacier skiing, luge, Houdini-like death-defying escapes, myth about King Midas golden touch, the finest possible human or animal gymnastics, ballet, modern dance, and maybe even the ancient Greek myth of Icarus.

Whew.

After a few spins, I stopped sitting in my listening room, jaw dropped and mind completely numbed by the sheer, vertiginous physical presto-chango of it all. Letting my ears and mind and heart seep past those outer flash barriers, then I could begin to get an inkling of this Liszt recital as music.

Whew, what music.

We continue to have an vaguely fond and enduring image of Franz Liszt - part genius, part virtuoso, part charlatan. Like one of those extremely well-read figures that used to pop up in novels or theater, an itinerant alcoholic (more often than not) who knew Shakespeare exhaustively without erring from memory, but who couldn't resist hamming it all up, every single time. We have grown a tad wary and cautious these days when Liszt gets programmed into a recital or concert. We rather regularly anticipate that one part genius to two parts glitz and blitz will be par for the musical course.

Not here and not with Arkady Volodos.

Vallee d'Obermann erupts at times from the Steinway keyboard as if we were reliving Vesuvius and the ancient panoramas of Pompeii. But Volodos' high-minded focus on the immense scale of the musical narrative never falters. He always finds the lyrical through lines of even the most complex or animated passages. Hearing him do this so consistently is a bit like being able to ride lightning, thanks to an Oppo touch of a button. Suddenly the arch-Romantic Era notion of the soul as an angel of embodied fire seems entirely less far-fetched and fanciful than before I put this SACD on for the first of many spins.

Whew, what a composer.

Could any number of later, great musical figures have dug so deep into musical color, musical electricity or magnetism or atonal dark matter - without Franz Liszt cracking open all these doors, just so? Note to Sony BMG marketing: Volodos must do the Scriabin piano sonatas as soon as he can manage recording them. Unless he says, No and has other fish to fry.

Pensoroso moves into other realms. The fires in this piece are completely banked, transforming all the extrovert mad feeling of the preceding work into something so sad and inward that it is difficult to grasp intellectually, and probably the only way to hear it is to let it take hold of you as you listen, and make you feel ethereal atmospheres which cannot quite be apprehended. Is this thought really a thought? A sensation? A perception? A mood? A feeling? Before one can figure it all out, the work is finished, and we are on to the next track.

Saint Francis preaching to the birds opens yet another, distinctive and fantastic musical vision. Volodos has his incredible way with the birds speaking, and perhaps under this magic spell a listener may be forgiven for believing that, like Siegfried after he has tasted Fafner's spilled blood, we really do hear and understand something Nature is saying to us, utterly beyond practical words rooted in socialization and culture. The religious overtones are clear - but never render the saint's sermonizing in any religiously amateurish or overly sentimentalized manner. Imagine Franz Liszt glimpsing realms within which modern French composer Olivier Messiaen would later take mystical and musical wing.

The Bagatelle without Tonality simply shows us how easy it already was in music by the composer's era to start floating free of the received legacy tonal hierarchies. The ability of the piece's harmonic aura to shift gears, turning deftly on a single note reminds one of Beethoven's abilities in this regard; but Liszt is reaching far beyond Beethoven's enharmonic or other key changes. A sprite breathes upon us in this seemingly improvised encounter. Can we trust our eyes or ears? Do we partly realize how wispy and homespun the brain's perceptions really are, of a constantly-changing and transforming world that is not at all solid?

Hungarian Rhapsody 13 returns us to the culturally rooted Franz Liszt, proud of his Hungarian ethnic heritage. Volodos has made his own arrangements of the original, suited ever so artfully to his own special high abilities. Now it takes a certain respect and technical reputation to get away with this sort of thing, at minimum, and Volodos obviously in this regard is the closest living performer who could stand without the slightest glare or embarrassment in the lineage of, say, Vladimir Horowitz.

Unlike even Horowitz, however, Volodos yields not a moment's sense of strain or effort. He manages the rhapsody so well that when he lets his fingers rise to break free of Planetary Gravities, we feel that freedom is the inevitable fulfillment of the earthbound restraint and pull that makes things cohere. What keeps this rhapsody from being nothing but a tasty bon-bon is the immense fun and joy that Volodos has in his way with it. Like running outside on a very fine Spring day, with the breezes let loose and the saps of Nature running, full flow. One feels very green, very young, juiced.

Oops. Space is running out for comments. Get this disc now unless you are terribly allergic to the piano or to Liszt.

The rest of the SACD is every bit as wonderful as the first has been.

Fabulous Liszt.......2007-05-08

This is without question the best recording of Liszt's piano music I have ever heard. Many of the selections are late works that tend to be rarely played, and certainly not played with this amount of skill. I now find myself appreciating these pieces much more than I had before. Volodos makes this music sound beautiful and visionary. While I hope in the future to hear Volodos' take on the Sonata and the Petrarch sonatas, and other of the more popular Liszt works, I think this CD is a magnificant achievement, a landmark recording.

Beyond Stunning .......2007-05-02

Arcadi Volodos is the pianist to watch. He seems to believe the 88 keys of the piano are not enough. This recording is gorgeous - beyond stunning. I have been a fan of the wide range of Liszt's keyboard and orchestral music for decades: this recording is the finest I have ever heard - beyond Bolet, Arrau, Horowitz, Brendel, Richter, Nyiregyhazi, Wild. Only Cziffra is close, in interpretation. Volodos mingles passion, introspection, technical brilliance and a sense of Liszt's importance to the musical traditions from which he emerged and which drew from him. Liszt is rare in that his life (from 1811 - 1886) enabled him to reflect and influence generations of composition. You can hear the stirrings of Debussy, Gershwin and Rachmaninoff in his music.

Volodos plays pieces from various parts of Liszt's career. These selections are most judiciously chosen. For those who like their Liszt at white heat, with fireworks and brio, the disc is a delight: Volodos is amazing. He has superlative command of the keyboard. But Liszt, a true Romantic and an abbe in the Catholic Church, was also capable of rare sensitivity, calm, introspection, and humility. His religious music, though sometimes simple and sweet, is profoundly moving. Volodos again reaches depths many pianists have not plumbed, with an effect that gives this music a power far beyond words. It is overwhelming how much emotion, experience and insight are found in this single recording. It will take several sessions to sit and listen to these pieces and let them sink in. Playing it all at once is simply too much to absorb. I had to put it aside for a day to let it sink in but I am eagerly awaiting the chance to be transported again by any of these mesmerizing works. Volodos is the greatest thing to happen to the piano since Horowitz and Richter, rolled into one. He is in his 30's. There should be much more from him. Already his recordings sound like more. I have simply been amazed at his recordings of Rachmaninoff, Schumann, Schubert and Scriabin, among others. And the sound - ! This is a hybrid super audio CD. It is exquisite even if you do not have a super-audio CD player and the added speaker(s). I agree entirely with the other reviewer. You will not regret buying this.

More thrilling Liszt would be hard to imagine.......2007-04-18

Volodos made a huge impact with his first CD ten years ago, an unknown ?Russian of 24 who had acquired a technique equal to Horowitz. All the more remarkable was the fact that he had started seriously studying the piano at age 16, his previous background being in singing and conducting. There's such a plethora of Russians with lightning fingers that something more is nee4ded, and Volodos offered sensitive musicanship, a natural ability to phrase, and gorgeous tone. He has remained at the top of the profession form the day he first appeared.

Here Volodos leans into strength with Liszt, whose Second Hungarian Rhapsody was one of the knockouts on his first CD. The program includes a cluster of Lidzt's gnomic, terse late works, three great pieces taken from the Annees de pelerinage series, and a scatterig of showpieces and rarities. It's a very agreeable mix, and Volodos plays with enormous sonority, captured extremely well by the vivid close-up recording that takes us into the heart of the instrument. Pianists could only dream of such sonic realism even a few years ago--the thundering octaves of Vallee d'Obermann send chills down the spine.

Vallee d'Obermann opens the recital, and Volodos makes a triumph out of its long, long melodic lines and spare fingering. This is one of the most convincing versions I've heard in years. As much as I hate to disparage Kissin, Volodos in many ways has gone where Kissin should have gone--inward. Both have technique to burn, but Volodos makes you think and feel in a way that only the younger Kissin did. Perhaps Volodos is a touch too serious; he wants to convince us that Liszt's music isn't flash and fireworks, which qite often it is, even in the best pieces. But I doubt anyone will have complaints. It would be hard to imagine a more thriling recital.

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